Clint Dempsey talks about dealing with the ‘baggage’ of coming into MLS as a DP

Sounders FC’s Clint Dempsey met with the media after Tuesday’s practice, and when talking about what has been different for him this season, he mentioned he initially had to deal with “the baggage that comes with being a designated player expected to perform straight away.”

He was asked to expand upon what he meant by “baggage.”

“Just what I said about coming in and not being in top form and being expected to perform straight away while still being in preseason form — trying to play catch-up,” Dempsey said. “There is a way that you have to build your body into the season, and I was kind of going straight in. I think that contributed to the injuries as well as adjusting to playing on turf again and adjusting to the flight schedules and the hours on the plane you don’t experience while playing in England.”

Dempsey also talked about winning MLS Player of the Week again, the team’s ability to come back in games, having bench players coming in and making contributions, playing old teammates in Mauro Rosales and Carlos Bocanegra, and more. Here is the video: